A few weeks ago, the kind people at ‘Canvas Rebel’ asked me to answer some questions about how I felt as an artist in this moment. What I like about their blog is that they are interested in how artists feel in the midst of their craft. Another aspect I appreciate is that they sample from all sorts of creative genres, not just music. I put some thought into how I answered and the article with some fun pictures can be found at here: Canvas Rebel Article

Here’s the Q&A:

CR: Megan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

MP: I always joked to my parents when I was a teen, studying classical violin and playing chamber music, that I wanted to be in ‘a rock band.’ When I went away to college, the first thing I did was find a way to amplify my fiddle and join an Indigo Girls cover band. From that point on, I was hooked, playing in a variety of college ensembles, studying jazz violin, and eventually auditioning for my first rock band in Columbus, OH, ‘The Franklin County All-Stars.’ Led by songwriter Fred Haring, it truly was an all star lineup – our drummer Jerome Dillon even joining “Nine Inch Nails’ during our tenure. Other ‘stars’ included Andy Harrison on guitar, Phil Maneri on Bass, and Jose Nelson replacing Jerome on drums.

Even though I went to Nursing School and still practice as an RN, there has never been a time when I wasn’t in a band. While on the road with ‘Luther Wright and the Wrongs’ across the US and Canada, I started to pen my own tunes, inspired by life on the road. It led to my first release in 2006, “Forget Me Not.” Writing and recording my own material solidified my dedication to being an artist, and even though I have felt discouraged at times, I can’t stop writing and continuing to discover my own voice in the process.

CR: Megan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

MP: I moved to Nashville officially in 2013 and have managed to have a busy musical life for most of the time. I play violin/fiddle, guitar, keys and sing in addition to writing songs. I also work at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a registered nurse. I feel like I am often recalibrating myself to find time to do it all.

Out of everything I am currently doing, I feel the happiest when I am managing to sing my own songs, either with my own band, or part of the duo project I have with fellow songwriter Bob Lewis called “Slowforce.” We are working on finishing our first album this year with Dexter Green and I can’t wait to share the collaborative effort of our music

Megan & Bob aka ‘Slowforce’ photo by Stacie Huckeba

I am also proud of the record I released last year called “Take Good Care.” It’s a co-writing project I did with my fellow nurses at VUMC during the times when the music industry was quiet in 2020. Since it was such a busy time in healthcare, it was very healing to find ways to express ourselves in such uncertainty. The record shows the resilience required to learn better ways to care for ourselves and each other.

Something else I have been doing lately is developing my voice as a writer. I have a weekly newsletter on Substack called ‘Megan Palmer Writes’ and it’s felt really good to practice writing in that format. The feedback I’m getting keeps me going as I slowly work on a memoir about living a creative life and learning about what it means to heal from what life deals from the inside out.

CR:Is there mission driving your creative journey?

MP:For a long time I struggled with feeling split between my music life and my life as a healthcare worker. I wondered if there was a way to combine these two art forms. At times, I asked myself dangerous questions about what ‘the point’ of trying to have a creative life was because it felt too hard, and the industry’s version of ‘success’ did not align with what I was accomplishing. I think in 2020 I was almost relieved to have a pause from thinking about it as the pressure ‘to make something happen’ suddenly disappeared and I threw myself into my work as a nurse. But as the year went on, I found myself leaning toward finding ways to be creative because it was essential to my soul. I came to the realization that the ‘why’ of making something truly comes within. This epiphany came as a welcome reset to how I approach each project I am involved in.

Megan with Jen Miller at Comfest 2022 Columbus OH photo by Dan Mitchell

CR:What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

MP: Tom Petty said it best.

‘Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.’

Whether I am playing or experiencing it, music always continues to enrich my life. I consider it a gift to be able to step onto a stage and forget about everything except for the task at hand. I always receive back ten-fold what I put out into the environment as a performer. It is a shot of adrenaline to my spirit that I am always grateful to experience. It truly is magical.